2000-2021 Asolo Rep Season

The Journey that has been our 2020-2021 season began quite unexpectedly in the middle of our 2019-2020 season. With two shows running, one headed into previews, and another in rehearsal, the task suddenly switched from storytelling to safety and ensuring the health of our entire company. A task which persists as a top priority to this day.

When we were certain we had done everything in our power to assist company members through this difficult time, including extended housing opportunities for stranded artists, and assistance in navigating the unemployment system for those employees that had to be furloughed or let go, we began to ask ourselves, ‘what will theater look like during this pandemic?’ The mandate to connect our community with stories and conversation was now both more important than ever and far more difficult.

“Bundled up as we were that Winter night, we each held that flame in our hearts and we sang silently to one another a healing vow to never let the light go out.”

Matthew McGee, Ann Morrison and Eileen Lymus.Photography by Cliff Roles

Fred Lassen and Laura Ones. Photography by Gary Sweetman

Headline Sponsor Drs. Joel and Gail Morganroth Additional support for Asolo Rep’s Outdoor Series is generously provided by Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation and The Linnie E. Dalbeck Memorial Foundation Trust

“It was a beautiful production and I’m so glad we got our 'sea legs' at the Asolo.”

– Cheryl L. West, playwright

SO WE MOVED ONLINE. A space that had been primarily functional for us to that point had to become the primary expressive vehicle of our institution. Our staff, experts in creating amazing work on stage, took on the entirely new task of pulling theater through the screen. The energy, skill, and creativity with which they leapt into these uncharted waters will be a source of pride and further inspiration for seasons to come.

WE COMBED THROUGH OUR ARCHIVES to launch “Monday Musical Moments” – a celebration of past work, remastered and re-contextualized with interviews for today. We got in touch with artists and community leaders to create fascinating interviews about theater and life for our podcast and radio show "Engage on Air." We launched educational content like “Nia Explains it All” to make sure students shut out of theater classrooms could hear from us directly and keep the creative spark burning brightly. Our “Ground Floor” series went online with a Making Musicals competition showcasing 15 minute selections from four very different in-progress musicals from across the country and even around the globe. We entered countless classrooms through the BardWired virtual tour of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and created a weekly newsletter – now with over 60 editions – to tell you all about it. Our digital presence in general, across platforms, has grown exponentially since March of 2020 and in the game of ‘find the silver lining’ that this year has been, that community connection has become a tool that we will carry with us moving forward.

the music and life of fannie lou hamer

E. Faye Butler as Fannie Lou Hamer. Photography by Cliff Roles

“E. Faye Butler was a wonder to behold. Everything about the show was perfection, including the Broadway caliber production. It is so rare for people of color to see one of our

beloved stories told so brilliantly. ” ‑ Nate Jacobs, Founder & Artistic Director, Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe

“At last one can see and hear what CAMELOT is about and why it was JFK’s favorite musical.”

–Frank Galati, Tony Award® Winning Director

IN JUNE, OUR COUNTRY WAS ROCKED by yet more glaring instances of racial injustice and brutality. Through the lens of the Call to Action letter issued to the FSU/Asolo Conservatory as well as Asolo Rep, we engaged in an honest and thorough examination of who we are, who we have been, and who we want to be. We consulted with outside experts, sent our staff to industryspecific conferences, spoke with artists who knew us, read everything we could and most importantly did as much listening as possible. That learning has thus far led to revamping the donor and graduate student relationship in a manner that ensures the program provides mutual benefit with open communication in a safe and supportive space, a deepening of our public commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access, and the launch of a staff committee and board initiative to ensure that the work does not stop here but is ingrained in the core of who we are.

A NEW IDEA BEGAN TO GROW despite, or perhaps because of, the changing seasons. With strict health protocols in place, could we possibly perform outside? This initial question gave rise to a lengthy list of others. What would the protocols need to be? Where could we find a venue? With a reduced staff and tight finances, how would we afford to make work? Would people come? We were all surprised and thrilled to find the answers to each of these questions within our midst. Our staff collaborated with all of the artistic unions, and listened intently to the Centers for Disease Control and some of the brightest local health experts in Sarasota to come up with a rigorous and detailed plan to keep us all safe. Our production teams, as they always do, figured out the perfect way to bring the design to life: a stage, lighting rig, and powerful projectors. And they would do it right on our own doorstep. And finally the board and our supporters, with clarity and visionary leadership, stepped up to provide the resources. What first seemed like an impossible task slowly but surely became the reality of the Terrace Stage.

WITH NEW POSSIBILITIES for performance the immediate task was to identify what to put on stage – nothing we had planned for the original 2020-2021 season would be possible. We knew we wanted the show to feel like a gift for the community, something to lift our spirits and inject a little hope in our world. And we knew we had to do it with incredible attention to safety and sanitization. These two strands combined to form We Need a Little Christmas, starring some of the amazing talent we have right in our own backyard. As the show closed we had the answer to our final question: there was definitely an audience excited to see live theater again.

Counterclockwise: Levin Valayil, Nick Duckart, Britney Coleman and Alex Joseph Grayson. Photography by Cliff Roles

CamelotLerner and loewe’s

“What a great, creative, moving piece of work you all did. We absolutely loved it. So well performed by such a truly wonderful cast. And the projections…!! ”

– Bruce Rodgers, former Associate Artistic Director, Asolo Rep

& Friends

“I cannot express enough how lucky we are that life gave us lemons and the Asolo has produced lemonade champagne with this stage. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen people rise to their feet after a

performance.” – Bradenton Times, Debra Ratzlaff

IN CONCERT

WITH A REINVIGORATED MANDATE, we set about to create a new season of theatrical events that would give us all something to be proud of. Continuing the ‘keeping it in the family’ mentality that had led us to the creation of We Need a Little Christmas, we reached out to four phenomenal theatre artists, each of whom was ecstatic at the idea of performing once more and all the more so to return to Asolo Rep. We started with the star of our ground breaking production of Bonnie & Clyde, Laura Osnes, who gave us two incredibly elegant and joy-filled nights. From there we began work on a project that could not have been more timely. The incomparable E. Faye Butler introduced us to playwright Cheryl L. West and her poignant play about civil rights stalwart, Fannie Lou Hamer. With E. Faye at the center of this onewoman show, glorious music woven throughout, and a powerful message that equality and justice are the soul of patriotism, Fannie put in sharp relief what is worth fighting for and the urgency with which we must fight.

IT WAS TONY-AWARD WINNING composer Steve Orich who brought us our next project, Lerner and Loewe’s Camelot (never mind that the conversation began years ago!). The time was finally right to summon this legend of a lost utopia and enduring love with a lean and vibrant adaptation from David Lee, including new orchestrations from Steve. In a brilliant staging from our own Celine Rosenthal and a diverse cast that added fresh immediacy to the piece, the show had an extended, sold out run. With permission from the Lerner and Loewe estate we were able to stream, for the first time, a fully produced video capture of the show. WE CANNOT THINK OF A BETTER EXCLAMATION POINT on the end of what turned into an action-packed season than bringing back the star of our 2017 production of Evita, Ana Isabelle. Led by Josh Rhodes, the show was a true homecoming for the entire team including Justin Gregory Lopez and world-renowned dancers Junior Cervila and Guadalupe Garcia. At the center of all the fun, the dazzling spectacle and sensational music is a heartbeat of hope.

WE ARE ONE of very few theaters across the country who can say we’ve safely produced five shows for a total of 56 performances playing to a total of 11,833 patrons throughout this year. We have earned the right to celebrate.

WHAT FOLLOWS in this book are the names of the incredible people who enabled us to do all the work you’ve just read about. People and supporters, without whom, not a single bit of this work would’ve been possible. These people have believed in us, encouraged us from the moment we had to pivot and step into the unknown. That faith has resulted in brilliant work despite unprecedented barriers, new play commissions, a sparkling Gala event, and breaking ground on an expanded Koski Center that will keep Asolo Rep at the center of the national theater conversation and an indispensable part of Sarasota’s cultural life for years to come. Ana Isabelle and Justin Gregory Lopez. Photography by Gary Sweetman

With deepest gratitude,In brightest celebration,

Junior Cervila and Guadalupe Garcia. Photography by Gary Sweetman

Photo by Cliff Roles

“We just loved Ana. The dancing was wonderful. Can you imagine that the little boy will come out dancing doing a Tango!!!!!! The lighting up of the building was magnificent. So much talent. I’m glad Asolo found a way to display the

genius of your theatre. ”– Lynn Chancer, Asolo Rep Co‑Producer